P.J. Tucker Details Nerve Damage in Hand After Hit to Neck
There's little doubting P.J. Tucker's toughness as he enters his third playoffs with the Rockets.
Houston's small-ball center has established himself as one of the NBA's true iron men in recent years, playing in 637 of 646 potential regular-season games over the last eight seasons. And Tucker's toughness doesn't just come from his ability to stay on the floor. He battles the game's most imposing centers in the paint, and he anchors Houston's small-ball defense despite standing just 6'5". Few, if any, players can handle the physical toll Tucker endures each night.
Tucker has taken toughness to a whole new level in 2019-20. The Texas product disclosed on Monday he's suffered from nerve damage in his hand for much of the season, a product of a hit suffered to the neck against Minnesota in January. But Tucker has no time for an extended stretch out of uniform. He'll continue to manage the injury through the rest of 2019-20.
"I don’t think about it, I just play," Tucker told the media in a Zoom call on Monday. "The Minnesota game in January, I took a hit to the neck, and I had some nerve damage. So I’ve been fighting that all year, sometimes playing with a numb hand, to where I have no feeling at all. I’m still playing and not missing games."
"That’s just me. I don’t report it or cry about it, or any of that stuff. It’s something I just fight through and play. It doesn’t matter, it’s a non-factor."
Tucker appeared to aggravate his hand injury in a loss to Indiana on Aug. 12. Tucker got his hand stuck in the jersey of Pacers guard Victor Oladipo in the second half, and he didn't return due to the injury. Yet once again, Tucker didn't miss time. He played vs. Philadelphia in the seeding-game finale, and he's good-to-go for Game 1 vs. Oklahoma City, per head coach Mike D'Antoni. It will take something far more severe than a hurt hand to keep Tucker out of the lineup.
Tucker will start his 29th straight playoff game with the Rockets on Tuesday. Tip-off vs. Chris Paul and the Thunder is slated for 5:30 p.m. CT.
